Borislav Ivanov
Number of games in database: 10
Years covered: 2011 to 2012
Last FIDE rating: 2318
Highest rating achieved in database: 2342Overall record: +5 -2 =3 (65.0%)* * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.

Borislav Krastev Ivanov is a Bulgarian chess FIDE Master. During 2012 and 2013 his results improved significantly, and he beat several grandmasters. This led to cheating accusations against him, and he was subsequently banned by the Bulgarian Chess Federation in December 2013 and excluded from FIDE's rating list in January 2014.(1) What follows are links to a number of news articles that chronicle his chess career:

3. 13 Jan 2013 - <Letter and Report (PDF file), addressed to the Association of Chess Professionals in regard to the performance by Borislav Ivanov at the 2012 Zadar Open.>: http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~regan/c... - statistical analysis by Kenneth Regan concluded that: <"... for a 2300 player to achieve the high computer correspondence
shown in the nine tested games, the odds against are almost a million-to-one. The control data ... show several respects in which the performance is
exceptional even for a 2700-player, and virtually unprecedented for an untitled player.">

"I practiced a lot with the computer, and after beating Rybka and Houdini by 10-0 each, I was absolutely sure that no-one was gonna stop me winning."

5. 23 March 2013 - <A Game of Chicken: Ivanov rides again>: http://www.chessbase.com/Home/TabId... - analysis of the contrasting results by Ivanov in Plovdiv, where he placed 88th with a TPR of 1942, and then won a short time later with a 2696 performance at Villava ahead of a large battery of IMs and GMs. Includes video analysis by Valeri Lilov.

6. 24 March 2013 - <Open letter by the Association of Chess Professionals (ACP) to FIDE on anti cheating>: http://www.chessprofessionals.org/c... - addressed to the FIDE President and signed by over 700 players.

8. 3 June 2013 - <The show goes on: Ivanov in Kustendil>: http://www.chessbase.com/Home/TabId... - further report on Ivanov following his win at the 2nd “Bogomil Andonov” Memorial rapid tournament with 7.5/9.0 ahead of another phalanx of IMs and GMs, including Kiril Georgiev, whom he defeated in their individual encounter. Also concerning his 8/9 result at the 1st Cup “Old Capital” International Open where he was denied first prize due to three forfeits accumulated by players boycotting their games against him. Includes another video analysis by Lilov.

11. 12 June 2013 - <Chess bid to checkmate cheats>: http://www.theage.com.au/national/c... - newspaper article concerning the appointment of Australian master and International Arbiter Shaun Press to the anti-Cheating Committee, including comments by Press.

16. 27 July 2013 - <Thirteen Sigma>: http://rjlipton.wordpress.com/2013/... - Ken Regan article that reports the outcome of a computer analysis of the Don Cup 2010 International and concludes that the games were fabricated, confidence level for the conclusion being a
z score = 13 sigma, ie: 6.15 times 10^-39 or 1-in-163,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000-
,000,000. The two tailenders in this event were found to have intrinsic performance ratings of over 3000.

20. 9 December 2013 - http://en.chessbase.com/post/ivanov... - Ivanov restarts his chess career. Ivanov expelled after round 5 (when he was leading) when he refused to allow his shoes to be examined.

21. 12 December 2013 - http://en.chessbase.com/post/ivanov... - Ivanov in Navalmoral – the real deal. <An examination was requested by his round six opponent, and a suspicious device was detected. But Ivanov refused to allow the search to proceed and left the event voluntarily.>

On 4 June and in consultation with the ACP, FIDE set up a 10-person Anti-Cheating Committee to make recommendations to be put to its General Assembly when it meets in Tromsø in 2014: http://www.fide.com/component/conte....

savagerules: A few years ago a couple of high ranking german bridge players cheated by having one of them cough at certain points in the bidding, which is mainly when the game is won or lost at top levels. Apparently a soft cough meant one thing and a louder cough meant something else etc.

PJs Studio: There is a simple way to test if Ivanov is a cheater (although it looks as though he was near proven as a cheater):

Anyone who can beat a grandmaster can play damn good speed chess. Have him take on a 1900 or 2000 rated player. If that player can beat Ivanov (without his special shoes on) there is NO WAY IN HELL Ivanov can beat multiple 2500+ GM in consecutive events.

PJs Studio: Also, I'm from the west (NY,MA,VT area) and in such a conservative and educated area, only a total looser! would use a computer to even glance at a position on a smart phone. Total toilet move!

Fusilli: <zanzibar> Well, yeah, all is relative, and I live in East Nashville, but would never say to a general audience that I live in the east. The statement would only make sense if I were talking to someone here in Nashville. I am inclined to think that <PJs Studio> meant to write east, or even north east?

PJs Studio: The whole of the United States is in west! - I was speaking of America. Which is how the term "west" was used here (see above) the rest of the world say west for Western Hemisphere. No question!

2. This is not a US website. Lots of Europeans.

3. North of NYC northern NY becomes about 70% hardcore FOX news watching republican. Not me, but I'm surrounded on all sides.

4. True. NYC is liberal... I'm in the MA VT NY area. Where the boarders converge. Being moderate around here is dangerous...forget about democrat. Oy!

Obviously I meant if he uses a computer DURING AN OTB game. I use machines for Schach as much as I can, but OTB I turn my phone off and leave it in my pocket. Grossly unfair to check analysis at a critical point.

PJs Studio: You are very Incorrect. I meant "other's" - which is a small oversight on my part. But your others' is an enormous oversight on your part. You are correcting me incorrectly and you have the Internet at your disposal.

perfidious: <Dom....The Cork incident (of computer assistance) had some media coverage at the time, but I don't have a link to hand. I know that the Irish Chess Union debated it at length, and the young man who was caught with a computer even turned up at a hearing with a lawyer. The ICU eventually ruled that both players should be penalized - one for cheating, the other for taking the law into his own hands rather than calling the arbiter.>

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